No PPP man named in Joint Team report on Karachi target killings

An official report containing details of the joint interrogation reports of all key government agencies relating to the 26 accused arrested and probed in 2010 in Karachi's target killing cases, shows the majority belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) while the rest claimed their association with the MQM-Haqqiqi, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Sipah-e-Muhammad, Awami National Party (ANP) and Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan.

The report is horrific and contains the statements, confessions, revelations and crime history of the arrested alleged target killers, including those having South African connections. The disclosures of these high profile suspects cause a shiver in the spine as each and every page of the voluminous report is full of tales where a large number of people were killed ruthlessly in a callous manner and merely on the whims and wishes of a few.

The report, nothing less than a bombshell, has been reportedly prepared by the Sindh Home Department and provided to the president, prime minister, Interior Ministry and all concerned at the federal and Sindh government.

The report did not talk of even a single alleged target killer having any connection or affiliation with the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP), whose recently removed Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfikar Mirza has been the boss of the police and other agencies in the province.

Mirza has been accusing the MQM, both directly and indirectly, of having been involved in the target killings, whereas Altaf Hussain's party has always rejected these allegations and instead blamed the people's peace committees of the PPP and ANP of alleged involvement in target killings and extortion.

According to an official source, the 26 accused were arrested in target killing cases in a span of a few weeks and after Karachi saw all time high number of such killings last year. The source said that the kind of information revealed by these accused was nothing less than a bombshell and required immediate attention of all concerned to bring peace in Karachi by curbing such criminal groups there.

When asked as to why not even a single PPP man was reflected in the list of 26, the source said that the reason was that not even a single PPP affiliated man was caught in the target killing case.

The confessions of most of the accused before the joint interrogation teams show them to be hardened criminals and trained killers. Most of them have criminal histories. They have been jailed in the past but were released and continued with their alleged crimes.

Though no comment was made in the report about the failure of the police, prosecution and the intelligence agencies, the mere reading of the details of the crimes reflect on serious inefficiency of the law enforcing agencies and the criminal justice system. It shows that not only the hardened criminals were released because of lack of evidence but also let loose without any surveillance of the intelligence agencies and police to continue committing crime without any fear and in a reckless manner.

The joint interrogation teams, which probed these accused, include the representatives of the ISI, IB, police, Special Branch, CID and Military Intelligence. In the coming few days, The News would run stories on the confessions and disclosures of these accused as reflected in the joint investigation reports. Disclosures by some of the accused contain serious allegations against some of the political entities and such revelations would be shared with the readers.

The official document reflects on three categories of target killings. The first category includes crimes to have been committed on the alleged order of the high command of a particular party or group. The second category of crime includes such criminals, who for their vested interest and in violation of the party or group's discipline carry out such killings. The third category includes small group of criminals, belonging to a particular sectarian or ethnic group, who because of their own conviction select their targets and kill them.

The list of accused arrested in target killings whose joint interrogations had been held in 2010 includes a total of 26 suspects. Fourteen out of these 26 are alleged to be associated with the MQM, three are linked with the MQM-H, five with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, two with SSP and one each with the ANP and Sipah-e-Muhammad.

Those allegedly having affiliation with the MQM include Habib-ur-Rehman, s/o Majeed-ur-Rehman, Murad Akhtar Siddiqui, s/o Minhaj-uddin Siddique, Sultan alias Couple, s/o Muhammad Suleman, Jamal Abdul Nasir alias Commando, Tahir Ali alias Topchi, Imran alias Irfan Lamba, s/o S Mehboob Ali, Shariq Nafees, alias Sheri, s/o Muhammad Nafees Sheikh, Atif Rasheed, alias Ghora, s/o Abdul Rasheed, Ikram, alias Akoo, s/o Habibullah, Anus Bin Haroon, s/o Syed Abu Asad, Syed Abu Irfan, alias Urfi, s/o Syed Abu Asad, Muhammad Ishtiaq, alias Suleman, alias Police Wala, Muhammad Yaseen, s/o Abdul Haq, and Rizwan Mehmood, alias Khalid Chamber, s/o Mehmood Khan.

The five alleged suspects involved in target killing cases belonging to the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi include Waseem Ahmed, alias Barudi, s/o Samiullah, Muhammad Abdullah, alias Taimor, s/o M Riaz Shahid, Hafiz Ikhlaq, s/o Pervaiz Akhtar, Naseem Haider, alias Feron, s/o Ghulam Haider, and Asif Rasheed, alias Dumba, s/o Haroon Rashid.

The three accused associated with MQM-H are Maqbool Hussain, s/o Ali Hassan, Azhar Ali, alias Uncle, alias Baboo, s/o Abdul Rehman, and Abdul Aziz Ansari, s/o Abdul Naseer Ansari. The accused belonging to the SSP are Nasir Qadri, s/o A Qadeer, and Muhammad Shoaib, s/o Muhammad Ali. The ANP's accused is Mashwar Nawaz, alias Mashwari, s/o Anwar Khan, whereas Sipah-e-Muhammad's accused is Syed Ali Mehdi, alias Suleman, s/o Syed Jaffar Ali.

Except the MQM affiliated Murad Akhtar Siddiqui, s/o Minhaj-uddin Siddiqui, almost all others accused have been graded as "black" for their alleged involvement in heinous crimes like killing, looting, etc. Murad Siddiqui has been graded as "white" as he has never been involved in any crime in the past and was even found innocent in the murder case in which he was apprehended. 

War in Afghanistan is destabilising Pakistan: Zardari

President Asif Ali Zardari has said that the war in Afghanistan is destabilising Pakistan and seriously undermining efforts to restore its democratic institutions and economic prosperity after a decade of military dictatorship.

Speaking during an exclusive interview with the Guardian in the imposing presidential residence in Islamabad, Zardari also pointed to widespread concern in Pakistan at the slow pace of efforts to end the Afghan conflict, and said some US politicians showed limited understanding of the impact of American policies.

"Just as the Mexican drug war on US borders makes a difference to Texas and American society, we are talking about a war on our border which is obviously having a huge effect. Only today a suicide bomber has attacked a police compound in Balochistan. I think it [the Afghan war] has an effect on the entire region, and specially our country," Zardari said.

Asked about harsh criticism of Pakistan's co-operation in the "war on terror" published in a White House report last week, Zardari said Pakistan always listened to Washington's views. But he suggested some members of Congress and the US media did not know what they were talking about when it came to Pakistan.

"The US has been an ally of Pakistan for the last 60 years. We respect and appreciate their political system. So every time a new parliament comes in, new boys come in, new representatives come in, it takes them time to understand the international situation. Not Obama, but the Congress, interest groups and the media get affected by 'deadline-it is' [over ending the Afghan war]," Zardari said.

"I think it is maybe 12 years since America has become engaged in Afghanistan and obviously everybody's patience is on edge, especially the American public, which is looking for answers. There are no short-term answers and it is very difficult to make the American taxpayer understand."

With less than three months left before Barack Obama has promised to begin withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan, the White House recriminations reflected the growing pressures on all three governments to agree a workable, long-term strategy. The report complained bitterly that after years of US funding of the Pakistani military, "there remains no clear path towards defeating the insurgency" inside Pakistan.

It criticised as ineffectual Pakistani army operations in some areas of the western tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, which are believed to be used as safe havens by Afghan Taliban and al-Qaeda elements. A congressional panel also weighed in this week, urging the Obama administration to abandon Pakistan in favour of India. "Pakistan is about to go broke or collapse," said Gary Ackerman, a New York Democrat.

Zardari suggested that if that assertion were true, the interventionist policies of the US and other foreign governments in south Asia would be a significant contributory factor. Pakistan had been in a state of "security alert" for several decades, he said. "Our emphasis has been on security rather than our commerce and we need commerce for our survival. "We have all the gas in the world waiting to go through to markets in India and the Red Sea but it cannot be brought in until Afghanistan is settled. So Afghanistan is a growth issue for us. I think most of the time, the quantification of the effect of the war is not calculated [by the US].

"Prices are going up, obviously we are a high fuel-importing country, and fuel prices are going up. Because of the war situation, the industry in one of our provinces has practically closed down ... When one whole sector is not working, there is an effect on the other sectors."

According to senior intelligence officials, the "war on terror" has cost the Pakistani economy approximately $68bn since 2001. More than 33,300 Pakistani civilians and military personnel have been killed or seriously injured. 

Zardari said the security situation was also undercutting efforts to strengthen democratic institutions bypassed or overturned during the military rule of his predecessor, General Pervez Musharraf. "Democracy is evolving. It's a new democracy. It takes time to bring institutions back. Destroying institutions during a decade of dictatorial regime is easy ... So there is a political impact as well as an economic impact."

Pakistani officials say relations with the US reached a "low ebb" following the recent row over Raymond Davis, a CIA contractor who shot dead two Pakistanis; a CIA drone attack in tribal areas last month that accidentally killed dozens of civilian elders meeting in a jirga (council), and Pakistan's suspicions that it is being excluded from discussions about an Afghan peace deal.

Zardari, who is expected to visit Washington next month, said he would ask Obama to share drone technology with Pakistan so future attacks could be planned and directed under a "Pakistani flag". Although this request had been turned down in the past, he said he was hopeful the Americans would be more receptive this time, given the huge anger and rising anti-American feeling that the drone attacks were causing.

Zardari and other senior government officials said all parties felt a sense of growing urgency about forging an inclusive peace settlement in Afghanistan, but the process must be "Afghan-led". Pakistan was ready to play its part, consistent with its national interest, they said.

Salman Bashir, Foreign Secretary, said: "Everybody is gradually coming round to our point of view that this requires greater diplomatic pressure. There is no military solution in Afghanistan."

12 dead in Karachi target killings

In spite of the presence of President and Prime Minister in Karachi, the ongoing incidents of targeted killings in the metropolitan city have so far left 12 people dead including political workers and a child while 7 others sustained injuries, Geo News reported Saturday.

Miscreants set ablaze an office of a local organization and three vehicles.

Unidentified attackers fired and killed a party worker, identified as Khurram, at his Pan shop in the busy area of Kharadar. This triggered a bout of heavy firing that spread a wave of tension in the entire area where enraged people set on fire a bus, truck and a rikshaw beside an office of a local organization.

Two men named Musavir Bangash and Sikandar Chandio were gunned down by unknown armed men at Jauhar Chowrangi in Gulistan-e-Jauhar area. Musavir was a resident of Pehalwan Goth whose brother had been arrested a few weeks ago.

In another incident of firing in the same area, a political worker Asad Khan was killed and three others were wounded.

In Garden area two bullet-riddled bodies of Adnan and Sami were found dumped while a worker of a religious party identified as Khadim Hussain was shot dead in Orangi Town.

Dead bodies of two youths with bullet wounds were recovered from Memon Goth, Malir and Super Highway.

Armed attackers gunned down a 19-year old boy identified as Shams in SITE area.

A firing incident also occurred in Azizabad area where men with guns riding a motor cycle fired and killed Noman, 23.

Three men were injured in similar incidents of firing in Baldia Town, Ghani Chowrangi and Kharadar.

Tension spread in all these areas where patrolling by police and Rangers personnel was undertaken to maintain order.

Latest reports have confirmed that a child who received injuries as a result of firing in Gulistan-e-Jauhar area later succumbed to his wounds and died.

Defiant Gaddafi vows to die as martyr, fight revolt

Muammar Gaddafi vowed to die in Libya as a martyr in an angry television address on Tuesday, as rebel troops said eastern regions had broken free from his rule in a burgeoning revolt.
"I am not going to leave this land, I will die here as a martyr," Gaddafi said on state television, refusing to bow to calls from his own diplomats, soldiers and protesters clamouring in the streets for an end to his four decades at the helm.
"I shall remain here defiant," said Gaddafi.
Earlier, witnesses streaming across the Libyan border into Egypt said Gaddafi was using tanks, warplanes and mercenaries in an effort to stamp out the growing rebellion.
"All the eastern regions are out of Gaddafi's control now ... The people and the army are hand-in-hand here," said the now former army major Hany Saad Marjaa.
The White House offered its condolences for the "appalling violence" in Libya and said the international community had to speak with one voice on the crisis.
The U.N. refugee agency meanwhile urged Libya's neighbours to grant refuge to those fleeing the unrest, which was triggered by decades of repression and popular revolts that toppled leaders in Tunisia and Egypt.
On the Libyan side of the border with Egypt, anti-Gaddafi rebels armed with clubs and Kalashnikov rifles welcomed visitors. One man held an upside-down picture of Gaddafi defaced with the words "the butcher tyrant, murderer of Libyans".
Hundreds of Egyptians flowed in the opposite direction on tractors and trucks, taking with them harrowing tales of state violence and banditry.
In the eastern town of Al Bayda, resident Marai Al Mahry said that 26 people including his brother Ahmed had been shot dead overnight by Gaddafi loyalists.
"They shoot you just for walking on the street," he said, sobbing uncontrollably as he appealed for help.
Protesters were attacked with tanks and warplanes, he said.
"The only thing we can do now is not give up, no surrender, no going back. We will die anyways, whether we like it or not. It is clear that they don't care whether we live or not. This is genocide," said Mahry, 42.

Human Rights Watch said 62 people had died in clashes in Tripoli in the past two days, on top of its previous toll of 233 dead. Opposition groups put the figure far much higher. U.N. rights chief Navi Pillay said the killing could amount to crimes against humanity and demanded an international probe.

The revolt in Libya, the third largest oil producer in Africa, has driven oil prices to a 2 1/2 year high above $108 a barrel, and OPEC said it would produce more crude if supplies from member Libya were disrupted.With no end in sight to the crisis, refugees fled to Egypt."Five people died on the street where I live," Mohamed Jalaly, 40, said at Salum on his way to Cairo from Benghazi. "You leave Benghazi and then you have ... nothing but gangs and youths with weapons," he added. "The way from Benghazi is extremely dangerous," he said.Libyan guards have withdrawn from their side of the border and Egypt's new military rulers -- who took power following the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak on Feb.11 -- said the main crossing would be kept open round-the-clock to allow the sick and wounded to enter.

Teams of PPP, PML-N meet

The meeting between the teams of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) met here on Tuesday, Geo News reported.During the joint press briefing, Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh and PML-N leader Senator Ishaq Dar said the report of consultations between the teams of PPP and PML-N would be presented before their parties.Finance minister said that both PPP and PML-N wanted to make good decisions for the country, adding that consultations between the parties would continue in future as well.On the occasion, Ishaq Dar said that he will present the details of the meeting to his party chief Mian Nawaz Sharif. He said that all the issues were discussed thoroughly and records from both sides have also been exchanged.

200 killed in Libya protests

A doctor in the Libyan city of Benghazi says his hospital has seen the bodies of at least 200 protesters killed by Moammar Gadhafi's forces over the last few days. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he fears reprisal.Witnesses told a mix of special commandos, foreign mercenaries and Gadhafi loyalists assaulted demonstrators on Saturday with knives, assault rifles and heavy weapons. Those protesters were burying 35 marchers who were slain Friday by government forces.Benghazi has been a center of a six-day revolt by Libyans inspired by uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia and frustrated by Gadhafi's more than 40 years of authoritarian rule.The doctor said the hospital, one of two in Libya's second-largest city, is out of supplies and cannot treat more than 70 wounded who were hit in the attacks and need attention."I am crying," the doctor said. "Why is the world not listening?"Getting concrete details about the protests in Libya has been difficult because journalists cannot work freely inside the country. Information about the uprising has come through telephone interviews, along with videos and messages posted online, and through opposition activists in exile.

Bangladesh vow to fight back after India loss

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan was confident his team will bounce back after the heart-breaking loss to India in the World Cup opener, but urged the bowlers to shape up.The hosts lost Saturday's high-scoring match by 87 runs, disappointing millions of local fans who had hoped for a repeat of the win over India in the 2007 edition in the Caribbean.India piled up 370-4, the fifth highest World Cup total, after being sent in to bat by Shakib with Virender Sehwag smashing 175 off 140 balls and young Virat Kohli making 100 not out in his maiden Cup appearance.Bangladesh made a spirited chase of the daunting target under lights, reaching 283-9 as opener Tamim Iqbal scored 70 and Shakib contributed 55 off 50 balls in the group B match.Shakib blamed his bowlers for allowing India to run riot with the bat, but justified his decision to give the power-packed rivals first strike at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium.

"I thought we had a better chance of winnning the game by chasing," he said. "If we could have had early wickets, it would have been a different game. That was our plan.

"But our fast bowlers could not execute those plans. That was our main problem and I thought that cost us the game.

"We could have bowled better. We bowled too many boundary balls. On the other hand, Sehwag played a really good innings and he took the game away from us."

Seamer Shafiul Islam went for 69 runs in his seven overs, including 12 runs in the first over of the tournament. New-ball partner Rubel Hossain went wicketless in 10 overs that cost 60 runs.Shakib urged fans to keep faith in the team, saying there were a lot of positives to take away from the opener ahead of the second match against Ireland at the same venue next Friday."Our aim was to bat properly, play cricketing shots. We knew the wicket was good, and if one of Tamim and Junaid (Siddique) had kept going, we could have got a very good total," he said."I thought we executed our batting very well. We didn't try to hit too many slogs and got close to 300. We batted really well and sensibly."

Shakib admitted the absence of pace spearhead Mashrafe Mortaza, who was ruled out of the tournament due to a knee injury, may have had a bearing on the result.

"Had he been in the team, we could have had a a different ballgame," the Bangladesh captain said. "But since he was not there, we could not think of him.

"Our fast bowlers have bowled very well for the last 12 months. This was not their day. But hopefully they will come back strongly."

Mortaza, 27, who insists he is now fit enough to play, has been the pivot of the Bangladesh attack with 146 one-day wickets, including a match-winning 4-38 against India in the last World Cup.

Rahat to pay Rs1.5m fine

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and his manager Maroof Ali have been fined Indian Rs 1.5 million each under customs act of India for carrying undeclared foreign currency.The singer may return to Lahore on Sunday.Khan and his manager Ali were caught at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on February 13 for carrying an undeclared sum of $142,000 in cash and cheques when they were about to board a flight to Lahore.After detaining the two at the airport, a team of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) raided two premises of event manager Chitresh Srivastava in Mumbai, which resulted in the recovery of around Rs 5 million.All the organisers who paid to Khan for his shows in India would face action under customs act. After completion of probe by the DRI, the matter was sent for adjudication to additional commissioner (customs) Ashutosh Baranwal.

Federal Cabinet resigns; PM hails performance

The Federal Cabinet ministers have tendered their resignations to Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, who intends to dissolve the cabinet and appoint a smaller version to tackle economic problems, Geo News reported.According to the report, the ministers submitted resignations during the last meeting of the current Cabinet held here on Wednesday. The State Ministers were not invited in the meeting."Today's meeting is going to be the last meeting of the present cabinet," Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani told the cabinet.While hailing the performance of Cabinet ministers, PM said that 77pc of the cabinet's decisions have been implemented while 175 other decisions are being implemented.The PPP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) in its last meeting had decided for right sizing of the Cabinet under 18th amendment and in consultation with the coalition partners in a view to cut down government expenditures.

The Federal Cabinet ministers have tendered their resignations to Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, who intends to dissolve the cabinet and appoint a smaller version to tackle economic problems, Geo News reported.According to the report, the ministers submitted resignations during the last meeting of the current Cabinet held here on Wednesday. The State Ministers were not invited in the meeting."Today's meeting is going to be the last meeting of the present cabinet," Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani told the cabinet.While hailing the performance of Cabinet ministers, PM said that 77pc of the cabinet's decisions have been implemented while 175 other decisions are being implemented.The PPP's Central Executive Committee (CEC) in its last meeting had decided for right sizing of the Cabinet under 18th amendment and in consultation with the coalition partners in a view to cut down government expenditures.Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) said on Wednesday that the government needed to do far more to curb spending than simply appointing a new cabinet."We have demanded a 30-percent reduction in government expenditure... So far we are disappointed. The 45-day period will be over before the end of the month but they have done nothing tangible," said party spokesman Siddiqul Farooq."We may think seriously about making an appeal to the people of Pakistan to demand fresh elections. We have to see the size and the credibility of the new cabinet members. Only then can we say whether it fulfills our demand."Jamaat-i-Islami said that up to 90 people enjoyed ministerial perks including advisors and special assistants to those holding the cabinet portfolios."It was a huge burden on our economy and the national exchequer," party spokesman Farid Paracha said."They must cut their lavish spending and curtail non development expenditure by at least 30 percent because the economy is heading towards collapse, Paracha added."Analysts were also sceptical, saying the resignations are unlikely to satisfy the IMF and international donors."The government will have to slash the number of ministries and surplus people in order to ensure substantive expenditure cuts. Merely downsizing the cabinet cabinet will not do any good," said economic analyst Salman Shah.

ICC bans trio for minimum five years

Former captain Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were banned for at least five years on Saturday after they were found guilty of corruption by an International Cricket Council (ICC) tribunal.

A statement read out at the tribunal said: "The tribunal heard the charges as Aamer agreed to bowl no-balls, and did bowl no-balls and Butt was party to the bowling of those deliberate balls, and the tribunal impose the following sanctions.

"On Butt ten years ineligibility, five years of which are suspended on the condition that he doesn't commit further breaches of the code, and that he participates under the auspices Pakistan Cricket Board in a programme of anti-corruption education.

"On Asif, a sanction of seven years of ineligibility, two years of which are suspended on the condition that he commits no further breach of the code and also participates in an anti-corruption programme.

"On Aamer a sanction of five years ineligibility. No further sanctions are imposed on any player."

The decisions came after a lengthy nine-hour hearing at the Qatar Financial Center, and following much argument after the players' lawyers requested the verdict be adjourned as it could affect the criminal case against the players in London.

The charges relate to alleged incidents during a Test match against England at Lord's last year, when Britain's News of the World newspaper claimed the players were willing to deliberately bowl no-balls.

The newspaper alleged the players, who are currently provisionally suspended from international cricket, had colluded in a spot-fixing betting scam organised by British-based agent Mazhar Majeed.

The members of the tribunal, headed by Michael Beloff, heard the case for six days last month before deferring the announcement on the request of players' lawyers.

Last month Beloff revealed that while Asif and Aamer were absolved of the charges relating to another match, the third Test at The Oval (played before the Lord's match) one charge against Butt remained under investigation.

In a separate development on Friday, British prosecutors charged the three players as well as their agent with corruption offences and summoned them in court on March 17.

The Pakistan trio have repeatedly denied wrongdoing and had shown confidence of resuming their careers.

The bans on Pakistan players have come just a fortnight before the tenth World Cup starts in the sub-continent, highlighting the difficult times the game of cricket is facing against corruption.

Butt, Aamer and Asif became the first players banned in spot-fixing, the latest innovation in which players obey specific orders during the game pre-arranged with bookmakers.

The players have 21 days to appeal against the sanctions in the Court of Arbitration for Sport, based in Switzerland.

PM directs to verify degrees of federal govt employees

Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Saturday directed the Establishment Division to verify the educational degrees and certificates of all the federal government employees.

The Prime Minister also desired that the Federal Public Service Commission should also ensure authenticity of the degrees/certificates of all the candidates appearing for selection in the government service.

Egypt protesters call strike, 'million man march'

Egyptian protesters on Monday called for an indefinite general strike and a "million man march" on Tuesday in Cairo, upping the stakes in their bid to topple President Hosni Mubarak's creaking regime.

"It was decided overnight that there will be a million man march on Tuesday," Eid Mohammed, one of the protesters and organisers, told. "We have also decided to begin an open-ended general strike," he said.

The strike was first called by workers at a factory in the canal city of Suez late on Sunday.

"We will be joining the Suez workers and begin a general strike until our demands are met," Mohammed Waked, another protest organiser, told.

In Cairo's Tahrir square, hundreds of protesters camped out overnight, determined to escalate the biggest anti-government protests in three decades.

An increasingly embattled Mubarak appointed the first vice president in his 30-year-rule, and a new prime minister in a desperate attempt to hold on to power. Egypt ordered riot police back onto the streets nationwide two days after they virtually disappeared as the army was deployed to deal with the revolt, but few police were visible on Monday morning.

Many Cairo men are exhausted, taking part in neighbourhood vigilante groups protecting their homes from looters by night and protesting during the day.

Mubarak, who sacked his cabinet on Friday, tasked his new prime minister on Sunday to ram through democratic reforms.

His instructions to Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq were read out on state television late on Sunday but had no discernible effect on protesters bunkered down in Tahrir square vowing not to leave until he steps down.

Mubarak also said the new prime minister's priority was creating new jobs.

"Above all that, and concurrent with it, I emphasise the importance of urgently, completely, effectively taking new and continuous steps for more political reforms, constitutional and legislative, through dialogue with all parties," Mubarak told Shafiq. He also instructed the new cabinet, whose members have not yet been named, to end corruption and restore trust in the country's economy.

But the announcement created little excitement among the more than 1,000 people encamped Monday at Tahrir square, the protest epicentre, some sleeping but many more marching and chanting "We will stay in the square, until the coward leaves."

The army has positioned tanks around the area and was checking identity papers but letting protesters in. Civilian popular committee members were also checking papers to make sure no plainclothes police get in.

"We are looking for police trouble makers, they want to come in and break our unity," said a popular committee member who asked not to be named.

Nearby soldiers scrubbed furiously at their tanks in a bid to wash off some of the anti-Mubarak graffiti they have been covered in over the last three days, as officers looked on. Top dissident Mohamed ElBaradei late Sunday told a sea of angry protesters in the square that they were beginning a new era.

The Nobel laureate, who was mandated by Egyptian opposition groups including the banned Muslim Brotherhood to negotiate with Mubarak's regime, hailed "a new Egypt in which every Egyptian lives in freedom and dignity." "We are on the right path, our strength is in our numbers," ElBaradei said in his first address on Tahrir square. "I ask you to be patient, change is coming." "We will sacrifice our soul and our blood for the nation," the angry crowd shouted. "The people want to topple the president."

Brotherhood leaders Essam el-Erian and Saad el-Katatni, who walked out of prison earlier on Sunday after their guards fled, also addressed the crowd. "They tried every way to stop the revolution of the people but we will be steadfast regardless of how many martyrs fall," Erian said.

The protests against Mubarak's three-decade rule have shaken Egypt and left at least 125 people dead as the veteran leader clings to power. A curfew slapped on Cairo, Alexandria and Suez on Friday was further extended on Sunday from 3:00 pm to 8:00 am, state television said, leaving citizens only seven hours a day to take to the street.

Mubarak has struggled to placate a nation angry at his autocratic rule with token gestures such as sacking the government. Several foreign governments said they would evacuate their nationals, while the United States authorised the departure of embassy families.

Mubarak on Sunday met with army brass seen as holding the key to his future as warplanes roared low over the downtown Cairo protest in an apparent show of force.

State television said he visited central military command where he met his newly appointed vice president, Omar Suleiman, the intelligence chief.

Mubarak, a former air force chief, appeared to be bolstering his army support as he faces down the revolt.

Washington, a key ally of Egypt, called on Mubarak to do more to defuse the crisis, with President Barack Obama voicing support for "an orderly transition to a government that is responsive to the aspirations of the Egyptian people."

With fears of insecurity rising, thousands of convicts have broken out of prisons across Egypt after they overwhelmed guards or after prison personnel fled their posts.

Troops set up checkpoints on roads to riot-hit prisons, stopping and searching cars for prisoners on the run.

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Militants target police; six dead

Six people including four police officers were killed and several people wounded in two bomb blasts in Peshawar on Monday, the first detonated by a teenage suicide bomber.
The first suicide attack killed five people and left 15 injured. The police van was on a routine patrol on the outskirts of the city when it came under attack, DCO Peshawar Siraj Ahmed said.
"The bomber was a teenager, he came on foot and blew himself up near the police van," Ahmed said.
The attack killed three policemen -- deputy superintendent Rashid Khan, his security guard and driver -- while two civilians also died in the blast, officials said.
"We have received four bodies -- three police officials and one civilian," the head of Peshawar's main hospital Abdul Hameed Afridi said.
One more person later died of his injuries in the hospital, he said, adding that another seven of the injured were in a serious condition in hospital.
Umar Gul, a police officer at the scene, confirmed the suicide attack. "We have recovered his head, the bomber was a young boy," he said.
A bomb disposal squad official said the bomber was carrying six to seven kilograms (13-15 pounds) of explosives, which destroyed the police van.
Another police official was killed and three officers wounded when a roadside bomb went off a short time later near a police van in the suburbs of Peshawar, police officer Ejaz Khan said.
The senior minister of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Bashir Bilor, said militants were "targeting police to pressure and dishearten them".
But he told reporters such attacks would not weaken the government's commitment to combat militancy.
"We will continue our fight against terrorism. We will not be deterred, it will only strengthen our resolve to eliminate terrorists," he added.

No relief in Raymond Davis case: Shahbaz Shreef

Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif Monday called on the provincial governor Lateef Khosa and vowed to redress the problems of masses amicably, Geo News reported.

Addressing a joint press conference following the meeting at the governor house, both the leaders pledged to work together by forgetting past.

Referring to US national Raymond Davis, Shahbaz Sharif said no one would be granted relief in Davis issue.

To a question, the chief minister stated that federal government has right to provide or not the diplomatic immunity to Raymond Davis.

Oil mixed in Asia, Brent nears $100

Oil was mixed in Asian trade Monday amid expectations that prices would soon hit $100 a barrel again, analysts said.

New York's main contract, light sweet crude for February delivery, eased two cents to $91.52 a barrel and Brent North Sea crude for March delivery was five cents higher at $98.43.

Optimism over the global economic recovery and interest from bullish investors have been the twin drivers behind the surge in crude prices over the past week, analysts said. "The crude futures are quite close to $100 and speculative traders have generally gone bullish on the market," said Victor Shum, a Singapore-based analyst with energy consultancy Purvin and Gertz.

"There are many investors betting on accelerating global economic recovery, and so we have got these high prices," he told.

The rise in global oil prices has been attributed to a harsh winter hitting Europe and parts of North America, as well as growth in China and other developing nations. Crude prices first touched $100 a barrel in January 2008 and major oil producer Iran said Sunday it was possible that this would happen again, but ruled out an emergency meeting by OPEC to discuss the matter.

"The price of 100 dollars is not unrealistic in this situation," Iran's Oil Minister Masoud Mirkazemi, who currently heads the OPEC cartel, told reporters on Sunday. "Even if the oil price crosses 100 dollars a barrel there is no need for an emergency OPEC meeting. Some OPEC members believe there is no need for an emergency meeting even if oil reaches 110 or 120 dollars a barrel."

Iran is OPEC's second largest crude exporter, and holds the world's second largest gas reserves.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which pumps 40 percent of the world's crude, has said that speculation was also fuelling the price rise.

China bank measures dent markets

Asian stocks got off to a mixed start on Monday, with Hong Kong and Shanghai deflated by China's hiking of its reserve requirement ratio for banks, but Tokyo buoyed by a surge on Wall Street.

The Shanghai Composite Index was 2.10 percent lower in the morning, while Hong Kong was flat. Sydney's S&P/ASX 200 was down around half a percent, but Tokyo's Nikkei was up 0.36 percent.

China's central bank said Friday it would raise the amount of money that lenders must keep in reserve by 50 basis points on January 20, the latest in a series of such hikes aimed at reining in inflation.

The move raised expectations in some quarters of further measures ahead to cool the economy, after the central bike hiked interest rates last month for the second time in less than three months.

Property and banking stocks led the losses. Official data out Monday showed that property prices in China's major cities posted their fourth straight month-on-month rise in December.

"The consumer price index is likely to rebound in January due to strong holiday demand after an expected slower growth in December, so the likelihood of another interest rate hike is still high," Zhang Yanbin, an analyst at Zheshang Securities, told Dow Jones Newswires.

In Australia, Sydney was dragged down by mining stocks, after the market appeared to shrug off the country's devastating floods for much of last week.

Japanese stocks however were lifted by a bullish performance by Wall Street last week, which served to strengthen the dollar against the yen, giving a particular boost to exporters.

Wall Street capped a seventh straight week of gains at highs not seen since 2007-2008 on Friday as the corporate earnings season got off to a stronger-than-expected start. US markets are closed on Monday for a holiday.

On currency markets, the euro was lower versus other major currencies in Asia as traders took a cautious stance before a meeting of eurozone finance ministers, dealers said. The ministers will meet with opinion divided over calls to expand a debt rescue fund to bury market fears about the fate of vulnerable countries such as Portugal and Spain.

The euro retreated to $1.3343 in Tokyo morning trade from $1.3382 in New York late Friday. The single European currency also eased to 110.60 yen from 110.90. The dollar fetched 82.90 yen, against 82.94 in late New York trading.

Oil markets were mixed amid expectations that prices could soon hit $100 a barrel, analysts said. New York's main contract, light sweet crude for February delivery, eased two cents to $91.52 a barrel. Brent North Sea crude for March was five cents higher at $98.43.

Gold opened at $1,364.00-$1,365.00 an ounce in Hong Kong, down from Friday's finish of $1,373.50-$1,374.50.

Iran searching for nuke bomb materials

Iran has been developing contacts in more than 30 countries to acquire technology, equipment and raw materials needed to build a nuclear bomb, a Norwegian newspaper said on Sunday, citing U.S. diplomatic cables.

Aftenposten said that according to the cables, obtained by WikiLeaks, more than 350 Iranian companies and organizations were involved in the pursuit of nuclear and missile technology between 2006 and 2010.

Iran says its nuclear programme has purely peaceful aims but the West suspects is designed to develop a weapons capability.

"For years, Iran has been working systematically to acquire the parts, equipment and technology needed for developing such weapons, in violation of U.N. sanctions against the country's nuclear and missile programme," Aftenposten said.

Aftenposten has said that it has all 250,000 U.S. cables leaked to WikiLeaks, most of which have not yet been published, and is gradually releasing them.

It cited sources as saying Iran is racing to develop nuclear weapons before its already crippled economy succumbs to the sanctions. "A race exists between the bomb and financial collapse," the daily cited a cable quoting a French nuclear expert.

Iran was practically out of uranium, which it needs to enrich for use in weapons, forcing Tehran to look abroad for more radioactive material, cables said.

"Iran's limited domestic supply of uranium makes it practically impossible to supply the nation's current and future nuclear power plant capacity," said a U.S. State Department note from February 2009.

"Consequently, the Iranians are likely to be forced into dealing with foreign suppliers to get uranium for their domestic nuclear industry," it added.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said earlier this month that the sanctions had set back Iran's nuclear programme, giving major powers more time to persuade Tehran to change tack.

Tehran is due to hold talks with the major powers on the nuclear programme in Istanbul on Jan. 21-22.

News Archive

WikiLeaks gives $15k to soldier's defense fund

A legal defense fund for the US soldier suspected of leaking secret US documents to WikiLeaks said Thursday it has received a 15,000 dollars contribution from the website.

US Army private Bradley Manning, 23, has been held in a military brig in Virginia since July on suspicion of leaking secret US military documents and State Department cables to WikiLeaks.

WikiLeaks has repeatedly said it does not know whether Manning was the source of the documents but has pledged to help with his defense.

The Bradley Manning Support Network said in a statement on Thursday published at bradleymanning.org that WikiLeaks had transferred 15,100 dollars on Monday to the legal trust account of Manning's attorney.

"In light of WikiLeaks' current fiscal challenges -- due in large part to the shameful actions of Visa, MasterCard and PayPal in cutting off services to WikiLeaks at the behest of the US government -- the Bradley Manning Support Network commends WikiLeaks for their contribution at this time," it said.

"This donation from WikiLeaks is vital to our efforts to ensure Bradley receives a fair, open trial," said Support Fund founder and steering committee member Mike Gogulski.

The group said the WikiLeaks contribution brings the total funds raised and transferred to Bradley's civilian legal defense team to over 100,000 dollars, just short of the 115,000 dollars needed "to mount a vigorous defense."

"We have seen an enormous outpouring of support internationally, in donations as well as volunteers," said Jeff Paterson, another steering committee member for the Bradley Manning Support Network.

Governor house PPP fortress: Latif Khosa

Governor of Punjab Sardar Muhammad Latif Khan Khosa said that he was a true follower of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's political philosophy, adding that the philosophy of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) runs in his blood.

"I have been associated with the PPP for last 40 years and I joined it as common worker after being inspired by thought, character and vision of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto", he said while addressing a large number of PPP workers, office bearers who had gathered at the Governor's House to attend the oath-taking ceremony of the governor here on Thursday.

The Punjab Governor said that the PPP was a party of martyrs who had rendered countless sacrifices for the country, masses and democracy.

Eulogizing Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's services, Khosa said that Bhutto conveyed the true meanings of democracy to Pakistan adding that the great PPP leader unified all Islamic countries.

Khosa said that ZAB took tangible steps to make Pakistan an atomic country, adding that we are an atomic power and our enemies cannot cast evil eye on us.

Paying tribute to Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, he said that she shouldered the responsibility of the party bequeathed by her great father through a letter from the prison, raised the voice of the masses and sacrificed her life for the people.

The governor said that ZA Bhutto had preferred death to bowing down to a dictator who had set him in a false case.

Khosa resolved to continue Benazir Bhutto's mission and to spread the message of the PPP in every nook and corner of the country.

Admiring the services of Salman Taseer's services for the party, he said that the PPP workers should keep their spirits high, adding that Punjab Governor's House will remain party fortress for workers.

China needles India

India reacted angrily Thursday to an extension of what it views as a provocative Chinese visa policy towards Indians living in areas disputed by the giant Asian neighbours.

In a move likely to put further strain on an already sensitive relationship, China issued stapled visas to an Indian athlete and his coach from the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as its territory.

This comes barely a month after the visit of China's Premier Wen Jiabao, during which India had complained about similar visas being issued to residents of Indian Kashmir, part of which is also under dispute.

India argues that stapling in visas amounts to a gratuitous challenge to its sovereignty and usually refuses to let Indian residents with such visas travel to China.

"We have unequivocally conveyed to the Chinese side that a uniform practice on issuance of visas to Indian nationals must be followed, regardless of the applicant's ethnicity or place of domicile," foreign ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said Thursday.

Although Wen's visit last month was used by both countries to stress the importance of future cooperation -- especially on trade -- ties between the two emerging Asian giants have been dogged by mutual mistrust ever since a brief border war in 1962.

In the past year, China has expressed its anger with New Delhi over visits to Arunachal Pradesh by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet who lives in exile in India.

Chinese officials have been handing out different visas to Kashmiris since 2009.

Competing territorial claims to Kashmir are the main source of friction between India and arch-rival Pakistan, which is a close ally of Beijing.

Taseer 's assasination could be a conspiracy: Imtiaz Safdar Warraich

Pakistan People's Party Punjab President Imtiaz Safdar Warraich said on Thursday that the assassination of Salman Taseer could be a conspiracy against Pakistan.Talking to mediamen after Rasm-e-Qul of Salman Taseer at Governor's House, he alleged that the murder of Punjab Governor took place due to security lapse as the Punjab government was responsible for his security.He said that assassin Mumtaz Qadri was a security risk, but why he was included in Governor's security squad.He said that cooperation of Punjab government was needed in investigation so that realities of the murder could be opened to the people.

To a question about the deadline given by Nawaz Sharif, PML-N Chief, he said that coalitions were made and broke but, he added the PPP wanted to keep all parties with it in the federal government.He stated the government was trying to bring Maulana Fazal ur Rehman back in the government. Warraich said the PPP was bound to follow Charter of Democracy.He said that PML-N parliamentarians were members and chairmen of several federal committees including Public Accounts Committee.He said the PPP would re-elect in next general election on the basis of its performance.Expressing his grief on the death of Salman Taseer, he said that he (Salman) was not only a good friend but also a responsible and trustworthy worker of the party.